Vanish Without A Trace
by EighthHeroine
Summary: When heroes leave this world they will be remembered in the sky. (WARNING: SONIC MANIA SPOILERS INSIDE)


SONIC MANIA SPOILER WARNING! DONT READ IF YOU HAVENT SEEN THE TRUE ENDING!

If you've seen the true ending I hope you enjoy this oneshot and make sure to check out the author notes at the end of this fic :3

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Little Planet floats in the air, only tethered to Mobius by a chain. Tails stands next to him fidgeting, watching the floating planet closely, searching for any sign of his hero. This isn't the first time Sonic has left Tails behind to finish things himself but it is the first time Knuckles was around to be a part of it.

Knuckles remembers metal collapsing and sparks bursting around him as Sonic lifted Tails into the small escape kart Knuckles had managed to find. There had been so much noise as the Titanic Monarch started to collapse around them he's not sure how he had managed to make out Sonic's voice.

"Take Tails and go Knuckles! I need to get that Ruby away from Eggman!"

Knuckles had half a mind to tell Sonic he was being stupid and go with him. It was the pleading look in Sonic's eyes that had stopped him. Sonic wasn't trying to play hero, he understood how dangerous the situation was and he simply didn't want Tails involved. Knuckles doesn't want Tails getting hurt either; Sonic and Knuckles may still be considered children but Tails is so much younger than both of them. Still he doesn't want to leave Sonic if he doesn't have to. Tails is already protesting, attempting to get free of Sonic's grasp and jump out of the small kart. Sonic gives Knuckles one last pleading look. No words are spoken and yet Knuckles understands. He presses the gas pedal and leaves Sonic behind before Tails has a chance to follow after his hero.

Now all he can do is wait and hope Sonic is capable of taking down whatever he's facing. A breeze rattles the trees around them and Tails involuntary shivers.

"Do you think Sonic's okay Knuckles?"

Knuckles tries to be nonchalant about it. If he acts like it's not a bid deal Tails might feel more reassured.

"I'm sure he's fine Tails. He's Sonic after all."

Tails seems to contemplate this for a second before he nods in agreement.

"Yeah, your right… he is taking a while though."

Knuckles is aware that Sonic is taking a very long time to get out of the machine. He shakes off the unsettling feeling that threatens to consume him.

He lets his mind wander in an attempt to distract himself. He thinks about the strange Ruby that caused this whole mess, he thinks about the Master Emerald that seems to be calling to him even now, and he thinks about Eggmans insane smile that lingered on his face even as they took down his machine. He is jolted out of his thoughts when Little Planet's chain seems to break completely of its own will and the planet slowly floats into the sky. It lingers in the air, almost as if thanking its saviors, before vanishing into nothing but white light.

For a minute everything is silent even the crickets cease their chirping. Tails eyes scan the ground for any sign of Sonic and Knuckles quills flair up on edge as he attempts to sense Sonic's presence. Tails suddenly jumps up, a finger pointed toward the sky.

"Knuckles! Look!"

He whips his head around instantly. Above them he can make out Sonic's face in the sky seemingly made out of stars. An echidna saying echoes through his mind:

 _When heroes leave this world they will be remembered in the sky._

He blinks once and the sky is blank once more as if it was never there. It's unbearably quiet and he can feel anticipation in the air. Tails waits with baited breath staring at the sky as if Sonic will miraculously fall from it. Five minutes pass and Sonic is still gone. Finally Tails turns to him confusion written all over his face.

"You saw him in the sky too, right Knuckles?"

Knuckles chest aches.

"Yeah Tails I saw it too."

"So… where is he?"

Knuckles curses every deity and god he's ever read about in Angel Islands relics. He curses Eggman for everything he's ever done and he curses Sonic for bringing a child into all of this. He desperately searches for the right words.

"I… I don't know Tails. Sonic… might not be coming back."

His words seem to linger in the air for all of Mobius to hear. Tails backs away from him slowly shaking his head as if this is a nightmare he'll wake up from any minute now.

"No… no. There's no way. Knuckles there's no way!"

Knuckles has watched as the Master Emerald, his whole purpose for existing, was stolen right in front of him. But he's sure now that he's never felt more helpless in his whole life watching as Tails world shatters around him.

Tails continues to back away looking at Knuckles as if he somehow betrayed him.

"Take it back Knuckles! Sonic will be here any minute now! You said yourself he'd be fine!"

Knuckles hopes that he is wrong. That Sonic is just being a selfish idiot and he'll appear any minute now and they can all go on with their lives.

"Knuckles take it back! Please! He-he can't be…please…"

Tears stream down Tails face and his words fade to a whisper. Knuckles clenches his fists by his side, a whirlwind of emotions consuming him. He calls Sonic a multitude of horrible things in his head for leaving him in this situation and at the same time he feels his own heart clench in anguish at the thought of Sonic really being gone. He and Sonic may not have been friends as long as Sonic and Tails had but it still hurts knowing he's gone. He tries to fight the grief but tears continue to obscure his vision and he can feel his throat closing up.

He's so wrapped up in his own inner turmoil that he nearly falls over when Tails barrels into him. The fox wraps his arms around his middle and buries his face in his chest, his sobs echoing through the night air. At first Knuckles is frozen in place not sure how to respond. Finally his instincts kick in and his arms wrap around the small fox.

The rest of the world seems to fade away and Knuckles lets his own grief consume him as he buries his face in the fur on top of Tails head. He remembers the last look Sonic had given him before he had ran off. The second Knuckles had laid eyes on Sonic and Tails he could tell they were family in every sense of the word. At first he had found it odd two Mobians of different species could be so close… but now he wouldn't question it. In the few times he had interacted with the two of them he had felt like he belonged somewhere. Even if Sonic was sometimes a bit obnoxious, he had been nice enough to welcome Knuckles into their little posse; the three of them really had made a good team and he supposed they were the closest thing Knuckles had ever had to a family himself. Somehow Sonic didn't need to speak to convey what he wanted Knuckles to know in the last moments he had seen him. In that moment Sonic had shown Knuckles just how much he trusted him even if their relationship had had a rocky start. Subconsciously he tightens his arms around Tails.

 _I'll keep Tails safe Sonic. I promise._

Dr. Eggman is no where to be seen and Little Planet has been freed once again. For now all of Mobius is safe even without her hero.

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Author Notes:

So before I get messages about it I am aware Sonic is still alive at the end of Mania he's simply been sent to Forces. Tails and Knuckles have no way of knowing that though, to them Sonic doesn't come back after the final fight and that's all they know. I also think it's interesting that they see Sonics face in the sky. I suppose this is most likely a nod to CD but in one of the Game Gear games Tails face is seen in the sky at the end of the game and many interpret that to mean that Tails dies :( So yeah this is my interpretation on how Tails and Knuckles would react to this. Now hopefully Classic Sonic come backs to his own dimension soon so they can all be happy again!


End file.
